Cracked and Beautiful
by Sanded Silk
Summary: It all started when he saved her life against her will. NejiSaku -title changed-
1. Chapter 1

I've discontinued "Fallen Juno" cuz I've lost inspiration for it, and cuz I have too many ideas in my head to focus on that story anywayz. Sorry. :-/

Soo, anywayz. I might be able to end this one as a one-shot. I don't think that will work very nicely, though. But we'll see, hmm? :D

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. --stops talking before a rant can break through--**

--Sanded Silk--

* * *

Raindrops slit the dark sky and the humid air like knives through cloth. The moon and stars were completely blocked out of sight by the heavy stormclouds. Lightning broke through the clouds every now and then, forked and glowing, crackling ominously.

But none of this was noticed by a young girl in black sweatpants and a loose black t-shirt, standing on the edge of a huge bridge that stretched across a turbulent river. She stared down at the water that rolled restlessly many feet below her with listless viridian eyes, her shoulder-length pink hair plastered to her head. Her right hand was wound tightly around a thick metal cord that held the bridge above the water. Her other hand was down by her side, twisted into a small fist.

No one that sped in their cars past the girl seemd to notice her, but that was what she wanted.

Random thoughts and images flew through her head; images of her friends' faces, her ex-boyfriend's smirk, her parents' smiles. Then, after the happy memories, in flowed the sad ones, the ones that had driven her to the edge of the bridge; images of her friends' faces twisted into mocking frowns, her ex-boyfriend's back turned on her, recordings of her parents' fights and snarls.

Life had been going well for this young girl in her earlier years. But as time went by, her friends floated away, her love-life flowed down the drain faster than rainwater, and her parents began to hate each other, yelling words at each other that made her bury her face under her pillows to hide her sobs.

Slowly, the happiness and the will to live had been decaying in the body of this petite girl, until finally, it snapped. It had just been that afternoon when she had agreed with herself to jump off the bridge.

It was so very convenient, this bridge. It was so close to her house, and so high above the water. Plus, it had been raining all day, so the drowning would take very little time, minimizing the sufferage. Perhaps this day had been destined especially for her. Perhaps this was her fate after all.

A small smile played on her pale lips. She threw back her head and closed her eyes, a wild laugh ripping itself from her lungs. No one who drove by her heard her- their windows were rolled up and they were driving too fast. Even if they had heard, though, this girl wouldn't have cared. She didn't have anything left in the world to care about, except maybe for her plan- her last plan- to go well.

She lowered her head and stared back down into the tumbling black waters. The sound of rain and of ocean water slapping violently against the rocks that bordered the land filled her ears.

She was ready.

With a deep breath, she let go of the metal cord and plummeted into the dark waters below. As soon as her toes left the metal, she heard, above the white noise filling her ears, the screech of wheel against wet metal and the shout of a man.

--

It was just like any other night for Hyuuga Neji. He was driving back to his lone apartment on the other side of the long bridge from a long day's time of work. The rain pattered relentlessly on his windshield, and below the comforting sound, the music he had turned on played soothingly.

Rain always calmed him. Neji was glad for the rain tonight.

Then, something flashed up ahead on the edge of the bridge. Dangerously close to the edge of the bridge. Neji stepped lightly on the brakes, and pulled to the far right lane, slowing down and squinting. Was that a flash of... pink?

Suddenly, the small blob of pink threw itself back and a wild, piercing laugh rang through the night, slipping through the cracks of his windshield and windows like air. Neji shivered, eyes wide with terrified astonishment. It was a person, someone with bright pink hair.

As he neared the person, he saw that it was a girl, a young woman around his age. She was standing on the very edge of the metal bridge, her hand clamped around a metal chord, the toes of her boots hanging off the edge. She had let loose the bloodcurdling laugh he had heard earlier, and was now staring into the dark water below with intense emerald eyes.

With a sickening crunch, Neji realized what she was planning to do. He slammed on the brakes, ignoring the protesting honk of a car behind him that had nearly crashed into him, and jumped out into the pelting rain. He threw his cellphone onto his seat, not bothering to pull the keys out of the trigger, and headed for the mysterious girl.

But he was too late. He ran as fast as he could, but wasn't fast enough, and watched helplessly as the woman let go of the metal chord and flung herself down into the river. He let out an incoherent shout and pumped faster.

_No._

Without a second thought- or a first one, at that- Neji grabbed the railing of the bridge, flung himself over the metal confinements, and into the water after the roseate young woman, another cry wrenching itself from his mouth.

By the time his head passed the last iron railing of the bridge, the woman had already fallen with a splash into the water below.

_No, no, no._

With a second splash, Neji plunged in after her. His long chestnut hair swished gracefully about his face as he whipped his head around, silver eyes wide open with fear. Below him, he caught a glimpse of pink fading into the darkness, and without hesitation, he lunged face-down and paddled downwards as fast as he could.

The pink blur was slowly disappearing. Neji clenched his teeth and pushed himself further, ignoring the mounting pressure on his ears and the crackling white noise filling his head.

Finally, it seemed that the motionless pink blur, which began to materialize as a pale body clothed in black, was getting closer. Neji pushed himself harder, and reached his hand out. He came close enough to see that the figure's eyes were shallowly closed. Her mouth was open a crack. She hadn't bothered trying to breath. Her body was floating helplessly, her limbs moving only to the rythm of the water. Her clothes fluttered about her body. Her pale, pale body...

_No!_

Neji stretched his arm and grabbed her motionless wrist. He didn't stop to feel for her pulse, and began kicking upwards as fast as he could. The tightness was increasing in his chest, and his face felt like all the blood had rushed to it. Finally, as he reached a few feet below the surface of the water, he couldn't hold his breath anymore. His mouth opened, and a rush of water filled his mouth, foul-tasting and suffocating.

For a split second, Neji's limbs loosened. His onward kicks up to the surface slackened, and his eyes closed.

But then his conscience kicked in, screaming at him. His eyes snapped open at the loud, clear voice, and with a final kick and a random wave of his arm, he broke through the surface.

Gasping, Neji yanked the limp body of the young woman up to the surface and looked around for a way to get up. It took him awhile to realize that sirens were intertwining with the rythm of the rain. He looked up, blinking through the rain, and found himself being waved and yelled at by a crowd of people who were gathering by the area where he had jumped off. The red and white lights of sirens flashed around them.

Something dangling over the edge of the bridge started to lower. As it got closer, Neji realized that it was a rope ladder. He bobbed towards it as it reached the crashing waves, and grabbed onto it, hooking his feet onto the lower rung as well, holding the limp body of the young woman close to his chest.

With a jerk, the ladder began to rise. After what seemed like eternity, Neji and the strange young woman were hauled onto the bridge. Neji collapsed onto the road, holding the woman close, panting and sore. His chest felt oddly tight, yet as if it would fall apart at any moment, and his heart beat wildly against his rib cage until it felt bruised and black and blue.

A gentle voice in his ear informed him that he and the young woman in his arms would ride the ambulance to the hospital, while a member of the hospital staff who came along would drive his car.

Neji barely nodded in reply before a strong pair of arms lifted both him and the pink-haired woman and set them gently down on the soft bedding that covered the floor of the ambulance. Someone climbed in. The doors of the ambulance slammed closed, and with a screech of wheels and a wail of sirens, Neji felt the ambulance jerk into speedy action.

* * *

**A/N: **Whatcha think so far? I might not get very far with this story either, so whatever. I'm writing this story just to get rid of one of the ideas floating in my head right now. :-3

Eh. Review please.

--Sanded Silk--


	2. Chapter 2

Whheeee, second chappie!! :D

...Nothing much to say, except please review.

**Disclaimer: wtf, I have nothing to say to any of you, especially you people who refuse to review. xD**

--Sanded Silk--

* * *

Neji had pulled through the dramatic dive with a minor cold and temporary light-headedness. His skin remained paler than usual for two or three days, before returning back to its normal hue.

The young woman, however, had not been so lucky. For an entire week, she lay motionless and pale in her hospital bed. Her eyes remained shallowly, lightly, barely closed, her mouth open a slight crack. It was agony, to watch her pale, tortured face; her eyes seemed so close to opening, her mouth so ready to smile, that whenever Neji watched her and waited for her to awake, he found himself sitting on the edge of his chair and gripping the sides.

To assuage his anxiety, Neji often visited the police station to ask for any reports of missing people. The police replied with the same reply every time; no one had filed a report for a missing young woman with pink hair. This usually aggravated Neji even more, and he soon took to plainly waiting for the police to alert him.

After days and days of waiting, of memorizing her agonized face and her slender frame, of memorizing the curve of her cheek and the angled perfection of her sculpted lips, of even tentatively holding her fingertips delicately and willing her to wake, the girl opened her eyes.

Neji was the only one present when the woman opened her eyes. He was sitting in his usual chair, leaning forward and propping his face on his elbows, staring intently at her face, as always.

It happened suddenly. One split second her eyes were closed; the next split second her eyes were open. Emerald eyes, framed by thick pink lashes, opened and stared listlessly at the ceiling, before rolling to stare at Neji.

Neji started when she first opened her eyes to stare at her ceiling, and almost recoiled when she shifted her gaze to stare at Neji. For a nearly-dead young woman, her gaze was penetrating and unsettling; almost accusing, as though she knew what he had done.

Her dry, parted lips moved, forming three words. "Who are you?"

Neji didn't think he heard her at first. He saw her lips move and heard the voice, but he didn't- couldn't- believe that it was _her _voice he was hearing- surprisingly calm and smooth, despite days without nourishment.

When he saw that she was waiting patiently for him to overcome his surprise and answer, he quickly composed himself and answered, in what he hoped was also a calm, smooth voice, "Hyuuga Neji. And you are?"

She smirked. "You mean no one's identified me yet?" She turned her face away, the smirk disappearing, and stared hard out of the small window of her room. Her mouth was set in a thin line, and her brow was wrinkled. No matter how hard he tried, Neji couldn't read what she was thinking.

When she turned back around, her face was smooth and blank again. "My name is Haruno Sakura. You must be the person who saved me."

Neji nodded wordlessly. What could he say?

Sakura's eyebrows lowered menacingly. "I have my reasons for dying, you know?" Her voice was tinted with sarcasm and dry humor. Neji didn't smile for a second.

"I had to stop you," He muttered, looking down at his hands. She had looked so powerful, and yet so vulnerable, standing in the rain on the edge of that bridge.

"And why, pray tell?"

Neji paused before answering, suddenly uncomfortable. "I... wasn't thinking."

"Obviously." Sakura said tersely, smirking darkly and splaying out thin, pale fingers. "Live my life for a day. You'll know why I wanted to end my life."

"Wouldn't it be easier for you to just tell me?"

Sakura snorted, dropping her hands on top of her blanket. "Reasons for suicide, I'm sure you should know, are not always so freely given away."

Neji frowned.

The wry smile left Sakura's face, leaving an almost-offended face. "But I must know," She said after a moment, "Why did you save me? I don't believe we've met before."

Neji shook his head slowly. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

Sakura barked a short, dry laugh. It would have sounded beautiful if she didn't sound so sarcastic. "'Deserve'? If you knew what I go through daily, you would know- better than myself, maybe- that 'deserve' is an understatement."

Neji looked deep into the girl's viridian eyes, and found himself swimming in a fathomless pool of emerald-green truth and pain.

After a long moment of pregnant silence, a nurse walked in to perform the daily check-up for Sakura. "Mr. Hyuuga, I-" She stopped short when she realized that Sakura was awake. "Miss! You're awake! The doctor will want to see you right away." Bowing, the nurse quickly left the room.

Sakura brought a crescent-shaped nail to her mouth and nibbled thoughtfully, staring beyond the window- probably thinking of a new suicide plan, Neji thought bitterly.

The young woman wasn't grateful at all for what he had done, and that was what hit Neji the hardest about this situation. He had saved her life, given her another opportunity. And what had she done in return? Revealed to him a sarcastic, dark side so cruel that no girl her age should have even thought of harboring.

And to answer her latest question- what _had _been the reason that pushed Neji into the dark waters after her? As he sat in his chair thinking, he came to an answer- it had been a shock of pain in his conscience that had driven him into the turbulent water under the bridge, to save a young woman he had never seen before. If he had stood by and let the young woman die, how could he live with himself?

But such a reason was so very fragile. In a court of law, material evidence was crucial. Psychology was a very flimsy source of information, and an even flimsier way to deduce the reason behind an action. If someone accused of murder stood in court and claimed that his conscience had told him that killing the person was the right thing to do and that one's conscience is always right, what kind of looks would he receive from his lawyer and the judge?

Neji smirked into his fist, which he had been using to prop his face up on his knees.

Just then, the doctor walked in. Neji nodded his acknowledgement, and politely left the room.

When the check-up was done- it took longer than usual- the doctor reported to Neji. "She doesn't seem to have any mental problems, or serious physical ones," The doctor said, scribbling on his clipboard. "She just seems a bit weak, but that can be healed in time. Speaking of which, do you know any of her family members or friends?"

Neji shook his head no.

"Hmmm." The doctor absently scratched his chin with the tip of his pen. "Well, I'll either have to find a shelter for her, or a family who is willing to support her." The doctor walked away, mumbling to himself.

"Er, sir?" Neji caught up with the doctor, an idea sparking in his mind. He had to carry it out before it formed solid enough in his mind to seem ridiculous. "I would be willing to help Miss Haruno out." The doctor paused, and scrutinized Neji. "I suppose that would work. And how old are you, young man?"

"23. I'm turning 24 this year."

"And she says that she is 22... Hmm, I suppose it should work, given her consent. And are you sure you could squeeze her into your daily routine, and that you earn enough money to support two people?"

Neji resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was the nephew of Hyuuga Hiashi, a very wealthy man. Though they weren't close as son and father, their relationship was casual and pretty friendly. Obtaining a bit more money from his uncle would be no problem.

"Yes, I'm sure." Neji nodded his head, reassuring both the doctor and himself.

Then, he hesitated. Sakura hated him! Why would she consent to live in his house (actually, his apartment- he didn't need much room) when he had foiled her plans to suicide? He explained his problem to the doctor.

"I see. Well then, I suppose you should go and talk to Miss Haruno." The doctor nodded his head quickly, and turned to pad down the hall, muttering to himself.

Neji stood in the middle of the hallway, a new problem standing before him. How was he going to bring up the issue to Sakura, when she seemed to practically despise him?

Slowly, Neji turned on his heel and walked back to Sakura's room, still wondering. Should he tell her bluntly and straight-forwardly, or should he wind through her housing problem to the suggestion?

_This is what I get for saving a life._

Sighing, Neji pushed heavily against the door and stepped in, received by a quick glance from Sakura. She was sitting by the window in a chair, with a blanket draped around her shoulders and hanging to the ground. She looked at him briefly, pinning him against the door, and turned away to gaze out of the window at the city lit up in the night. The window was open, and the wind blew her cherry-pink locks in graceful swirls around her face.

Neji stayed by the door in case he had to run for his life. "You do know where your relatives and friends live, don't you?" He asked tentatively.

She nodded.

"And do you plan to return and live with them again?"

She shook her head no.

Neji sighed. "Then you can either go to a shelter or stay with me."

Sakura was very still for a moment, and slowly, she turned around to stare at Neji with her intense emerald eyes. Her eyebrows, sculped perfectly into her face, curved down into a slight frown, and her jaw hardened. Neither spoke for a long time.

In the dim light and with the cool, soothing breeze blowing in from the window, Sakura saw Neji as what he truly was. He was a powerful young man, rich and handsome, and even mysterious-looking in the dim light, with his long chestnut locks shifting in the wind and his unreadable pearly eyes.

But he was lonely. He had no one to talk to, to confide in. He spent his nights alone, watching the sky and sinking deep into his mind. He had the hard exterior of the son of a rich man, and probably had a steady, promising future- but inside him, beneath his hard shell, he was as tender and fragile as a memory. Sakura recognized this instantly, for she suffered from the same thing.

And instantly, without a second thought, Sakura made her decision; not only for herself, but for Neji as well.

"I'll live with you."

And she turned away, so that he couldn't see the small smile etching its way onto her lips and into her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: **I actually find this ending very satisfactory... o.O

Happy Independence Day to all of you Americans who are reading this story. If you're not American... well, happy July 4th anyway (I'm sure all of you have a July 4th on your calendars, whether they land on a holiday or not).

And I think I might actually continue _Fallen Juno. _I'll just change the title, when I think of one...

Lol, plz review!!

--Sanded Silk--


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